With warm weather bowing out to cooler autumn days, the carefree flip-flops and sandals of summer will soon give way to more seasonal footwear. Hot on this fall’s list of must-haves are booties and ankle boots in leather and suede to accentuate those long sleek leggings.

But now that your toes are going to be kept inside for several months, be sure to protect them from common injuries and ailments.

The term “ingrown toenail” is an unattractive one, but the medical term, onychocryptosis, is not much more appealing. Ingrown toenails can occur as the result of injury, such as stubbing the toe but more often the causes are simply ill-fitting or too-tight shoes and incorrect trimming of the nail. An ingrown nail curls into the nail bed as it grows. They can be very painful and if not treated can become infected. Ingrown toenails are most common on the big toes.

Prevent ingrown nails by trimming the toenail straight across. Resist the urge to cut the nail to follow the curve of the end of the toe. If an ingrown nail starts it can be treated at home by soaking the foot in warm soapy water, and inserting a wad of sterile cotton under the edge of the nail to keep it from growing into the skin. If the condition becomes chronic or there are signs of infection, seek advice from a medical professional.

Always be sure that the shoes you wear are the correct sixe and that the toebox gives adequate room to prevent ingrown nails from becoming a painful price to pay for fashion.

In a couple of weeks the Autumnal Equinox will be upon us. The sun will cross the equator and the day and night will be of equal length. The beginning of Autumn also marks a new season of skin care that needs to be adapted to suit the changing season.

As Autumn moves in days are warm but with less humidity. Summer tans are fading, even those attained with self-tanners. Because we still can spend a lot of daylight hours outdoors, it is important to continue to use a sunscreen.

But perhaps we aren’t quite ready to adopt the pale face of winter just yet. The deep orange hue of a self-tanner might look more fake in the autumn setting but using one of the many “body glow” products can give you just a hint of sun-kissed color. The products that are combination moisturizer and color enhancer are perfect for this in-between season as they give a healthy glow and combat the increasing dryness of the weather.

Moisturizing is essential. Now is the time to condition skin, before the unavoidable dry air (both indoors and outdoors) that winter brings. Make it a point to drink more water. As the weather cools our natural thirst is not as great, so this has to be something you make part of your daily routine.

Be sure to use a moisturizing body wash. This is a great way to add some moisturizer to your daily regimen. If you normally use soap, replace it with something like Aveeno or Olay body wash. It’s a way to replenish the moisture that bathing can strip away from your skin.

Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer

L’Oreal Sublime Glow Daily Moisturizer

Olay Complete Body Wash with Vitamins

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash